One More Thing

Hi Five Oakers, The weekend's coming and there are a few things I want to tell you:

The Weekend

There's hardly a better way to learn to pray than to practice with someone who knows how to pray. The Bible is filled with stories of women and men who know how to pray. They pray boldly and God responds. They are our primary mentors in prayer. We learn how to pray by practicing with them as our models. This weekend we watch Elijah as he prays for rain. Let Elijah be your mentor.

Links You Might Like

Joshua Wood on "Would Jesus Bake a Cake for a Gay Wedding in Arizona?"

Russell Moore wrote ..that "the couple asking you to do this wedding aren't your enemies. They are made in the image of God and loved by him and so should be loved by us." But Moore advised against participating, saying, "But we must stand with kindness as well as with conviction."

Dan Doriani on "The Danger of Forgetting How to Read the Bible"

Student and pastors need, therefore, to become technical, devotional readers. Here every exegetical skill remains, yet we also read like children, letting the word speak to our hearts again.

Michael Hyatt on "3 Forces that Shape Character"

Yes, talent is important. So is education and experience. But in the end, it is our character that makes or breaks us.

One More Thing

"There is perhaps no greater evidence that human beings act contrary to their self-interest than the fact that we spend so little time talking to the one who made and loves us." Ben Patterson

Monday Memo

Hi Five Oakers: Here are the questions and comments from the weekend Communication Cards:

//Praise for the commitment and faithful service of all the leaders staff and behind the scenes people who serve at Five Oaks. Blessings upon each of you!  [Thank you! So many people make things happen in our church and so many are behind the scenes serving faithfully.]

//The Elijah story of saving the boy was one of my childhood favorites. Great message! To speak truth in love, so relevant.

//Wonderful music!

//The worship team instrumental was fantastic, always is, but really particularly good today. Love the Hammond organ and drums. Guitars were just really good. Jonathan, you’re accompaniment prayer. I love how Henry has been weaving the cross/SOG/communion into the end of the message. Wonderfully constructed/impactful message! Great closing set. Amen.

//Thank you for today’s message. God’s tests are to help me know myself. He already knows me. His tests are always ‘open book’ tests.

//Wow Tim – very powerful when you memorize and share a passage like that!  [You're not kidding!]

//Nice hair cut Dan! Oh and nice worship sets all thru.

//God is my provider – thanks be to God!

//Great opening – Dan pours out his heart in the song. Tim’s memorized reading was very powerful. I love this church!

//Nice job Nate and Legend!

//Loved your message, Henry!

//Good message, Henry. Whenever I hear/read/think about giving of my abundance, I like to consider all aspects of abundance – financial and other (talents, love, time, etc.). Thanks.

//Is there a way to just receive communication cards without all the other paper? We get the announcements online. [Communication is hard and to have any chance to succeed has to build in all kinds of redundancies. I wish there was a way to streamline this and save paper, but we're not aware of any way to do it and still get the word out.]

//Suggestion to have slow and quiet music without singing the first five minutes while we take the third worship/communion. It’s a time to meditate. People need to quiet their heart. Thank you for your consideration.  [Thanks for your suggestion.]

And here's a comment we received back on the card we send to first-time guests:

// Great worship!  Interesting sermons!  The response stations are a wonderful idea, however, not sure about breaking the bread?  Why not use crackers? [I'm very glad you have enjoyed the services. If you get a chance, send me an email to help me understand your question. I'm not sure why you would suggest crackers over bread.]

Blessings, Pastor Henry